7 Vendors To Watch At Cloud Connect Chicago 2013

Learn the latest in cloud strategies and technologies at Cloud Connect in Chicago. Our preview showcases vendors making news there.

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The cloud computing industry has tripled in size during the past five years, from about $46 billion in 2008 to a projected $150 billion in 2014, according to information from Awesome Cloud Services, a company that enables channel partners to provide cloud technologies to customers.

Companies ranging from large enterprises to small businesses look at cloud technologies to improve efficiency and reduce costs -- but even more importantly, to increase organizational flexibility. Given the industry's rapid growth, it can be hard to keep up the number of new services and players.

Cloud Connect provides vendor-neutral information and education on how businesses can implement cloud computing, and which are the best new tools for them to use. These conferences, held in the United States, China and India, provide opportunities to learn about hot topics in cloud computing through interaction with peers, industry experts and emerging and established companies.

Cloud Connect will make its next stop in Chicago from Oct. 21 through 23. The conference will offer workshop sessions and in-depth discussions about popular cloud topics such as big data, private and hybrid cloud environments, mobile clouds, and cloud security. On the Expo floor, you can meet with vendors to learn about new technologies and make informed decisions.

Keynote speakers for Chicago's Cloud Connect include Robin Chase of ZipCar and GoLoco, Paul Walsh of The Weather Co., Ric Telford of IBM Cloud Services, Narayan Desai of Argonne National Laboratory, and Jean-Sebastien Bruneau of OVH.com.

There will be boot camps and in-depth discussions led by industry experts on Oct. 21 and 22 that focus on current and emerging trends in the cloud market. Hot topics for this year include cloud security and risk management, economics and cloud implementation in businesses, managing SaaS and hybrid cloud environments, SDN and cloud connectivity, virtualization and private cloud, and the power of Amazon Web Services.

There are many vendors that plan to introduce and showcase new products and services on the Expo floor. We've put together a list of companies that will bring noteworthy innovations to this year's conference. Click through the slideshow to get a sneak peek at which vendors you should see at Cloud Connect.

Enterprise cloud adoption has evolved to the point where hybrid public/private cloud designs and use of multiple providers is common. Who among us has mastered provisioning resources in different clouds; allocating the right resources to each application; assigning applications to the "best" cloud provider based on performance or reliability requirements.